Over center locking clamp



July 28, 1959 L. G. LOVE OVER CENTER LOCKING CLAMP Filed May 21, 1957 INVENTOR.

ATTCIRN EYS United States Patent OVER CENTER LOCKING CLAMP Leslie G. Love, Crannell, Calif.

Application May 21, 1957, Serial No. 660,536

2 Claims. (Cl. 24249) This invention relates to a device for holding a member such as a supporting mast in a desired position.

The object of the invention is to provide an over center locking clamp which can be operated either by hand or foot whereby a member such as a supporting mast can be held in a desired position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an over center locking clamp that includes a fixed jaw and a movable jaw which are adapted to coact to grip a mast or other member therebetween, and wherein the over center locking clamp of the present invention can be either manually operated or else it can be operated by foot pressure and wherein the mast or fixture or other member can be held in an upright position when desired, and wherein the mast can be readily released when desired.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same.

Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating the over center locking clamp and showing the device in locked position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the device in unlocked position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral indicates a base which has secured thereto a fixed or stationary jaw 11, and the jaw 11 may be secured to the base 10 in any suitable manner, as for example by welding as at 12. There is further provided a movable jaw 13 which is adapted to coact with the fixed jaw 11, and the jaw 13 is pivotally connected to the base 10 by means of a hinge or pivotal mounting indicated generally by the numeral 14, and the hinge mounting 14 includes a pivot pin 15. The numeral 16 indicates a link which is connected to the movable jaw 13 by means of a hinge assembly 17, and the hinge assembly 17 includes a hinge pin or pivot pin 18.

The numeral 19 indicates a lever or clamp body which i is connected to the link 16 by means of a pivot pin 20.

The clamp body 19 is provided with a handle 21 on one end thereof. A heel engaging pad 22 is mounted on the other end of the clamp body 19. The numeral 23 indicates a toe or foot engaging pad 23 which is spaced forwardly from the pad 22, and the pad 23 is secured to or formed integral with the clamp body 19. The clamp body 10 is connected tothe base 10 by means of a hinge mounting 24 which includes a pin 25.

The jaws 13 and 11 are adapted to clamp a mast such as the mast 26 therebetween when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1.

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From the foregoing, it is apparent that there has been provided an over center locking clamp which is adapted to hold a tool supporting mast such as the mast 26 firmly in a desired position. The base 10 and jaw 11 can be secured to a suitable supporting structure such as a machine, base or device on which the locking clamp is to be used.

When the handle 21 is pushed towards the movable jaw 13 and downward, its maximum amount of travel, then the connecting pin 20 will have just passed through an imaginary direct line between the pin 18 and the pin 25 so that the device will be in a locked position as shown in Figure 1. To unlock the device by a hand operation, the handle 21 is pulled upward and to the left as. shown in the drawings so that the parts move from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2.

For foot operation, the toe of the shoe is placed on the pad 23 and the heel is placed on the pad 22. By pushing on the pad 23 the device will be locked, and by pushing on the pad 22 the device will be unlocked. The numeral 16 indicates a connecting link which extends between ears on the movable jaw 13 and the clamp body 19. The handle 21 is adapted to be used for hand operation. Suitable gears can be provided for each of the various hinge or pivot mountings. I

Figure 1 illustrates the locking clamp device in locked or closed position, while Figure 2 illustrates the device in unlocked position. The jaws 11 and 13 each have a semi-cylindrical formation whereby a cylindrical mast 26 can be snugly received therein, but the shape of these jaws may be varied to fit the mast or tool or other device being held. 9

Thus, it will be seen that there has been provided a locking jawed tool which can be operated either by hand or foot and consists of a mounting base, and a locking clamp action as previously described together with a fixed movable jaw and the locking mechanism which is operated by either the hand or foot whereby a mast or tool or fixture will be held securely in a desired position and the jaws are adapted to conform to the shape of the mast, tool or other member being held.

I claim:

1. In an over center locking clamp, a base, a fixed jaw contiguous to said base, a movable jaw hingedly connected to said base, a link pivotally connected to said movable jaw, a lever hingedly connected to saidbase and pivotally connected to said link for moving the movable jaw, a handle on one end of said lever for actuating the lever by hand, said jaws having a shape to clampingly engage a member being held therebetween, a heel engaging pad on the opposite end of the lever, and a foot engaging pad on said lever arranged forwardly of said heel engaging pad for actuating the lever by foot.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the lever and movable jaw are connected to the base through the medium of lugs secured to the base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

